A reader wrote in to ask a follow-up question about backups to his computer.

He wanted to know whether cloud backup services like Carbonite back up the operating system and drivers as well as data files.

The short answer is no, Carbonite does not allow users to back up their entire system. You can use cloud backup services to store copies of your data files, like documents, photos, music, movies.

According to Carbonite's website, "Carbonite is an online backup solution and, by policy, does not back up system and program files. In the event of a system crash, you will need to first install the operating system and any programs that you normally use before installing Carbonite."

This means that if and when your computer hard drive dies, you'll need to install Windows from your own installation media.

Download the appropriate version of MacOS, but don't install it. The installer will be in your Mac's applications folder. Using your own Mac to download the installer before you need it will help ensure that you have the correct version.